Sunday, February 27, 2011

I'm Married...

I will work on changing my blog name when we come back from the honeymoon, but for now we are packing to head over to Jamaica tomorrow!

I will post more pics as soon as I get them....
My dad walking me down the aisle...

Mr. and Mrs. Philip Reese!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Wedding Wednesdays

The wedding is in 3 days!!! The reality has yet to hit me, but I'm still looking forward to it.
The plan was to work this week Tuesday-Thursday, but with yesterday being a snow day (*yay) and me being sick, I've only worked one day this week.

I still have a couple of small things to get done, so tonight I started on the wedding programs. Most of our details were DIY and this was no exception. We managed to get our programs on clearance at Michaels for $12.99 for 30 programs. We picked up two packs.

Sorry for the bad picture, my cell phone was all I had at the moment...

I love how they came out and can't wait to finish them either tomorrow (on my unplanned day off) or Friday. Either way, things are coming together and I'm ready to get married!

Monday, February 21, 2011

Ouch!


This is how I've been feeling since Friday of last week. I have been in pretty good spirits, but the weather changed very quickly and my allergies came in full force and triggered my asthma. Fun times. The doctor was able to see me last Friday when I told them that my wedding is in a week and I can't be having all of these issues. They were fantastic and I am so thankful that they could squeeze me in last minute.

The prescriptions they gave me are working well and the allergies are under control. There is only one problem now...

My cough. I have this dry, barking cough that hurts my chest so much. I have tried ginger root tea, silver tablets, Emergen-C, Chloraseptic spray, Tylenol Sinus (day and night) and nothing has worked for more than a few minutes! My inhaler works to open up the airways, but the cough is persistent.

The wedding is in 5 short days and I really can't be coughing up a lung at the altar. Any suggestions? Please tell me what works and will stop this cough! The doctor is supposed to call in another prescription in the morning, but it can be difficult to fall asleep.

Other than that, things are going really well! We're having a good time with my sister in town and we're just finishing up the final touches.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Bridal Shower #2

I have to admit that I love my job. I work part-time teaching English at a small Christian school to Middle/High School kids. Despite what many people think about this age group, I happen to love it. It's a great age to teach because you get them when they are at their most difficult stage and can really make a positive impact in their lives.

I guess I should have known something was up when one of my 7th grade girls started asking little details about the wedding or what my favorite dessert was. I figured that if they were going to do something, that it would probably be next week on my last day here before the wedding.

I had no idea what to expect when the Math teacher told me that she needed to talk to me and wouldn't let me leave the room to go to my next class. I was kind of freaking out a little bit. One of my students came to get me and she finally let me go. I walked to my class and there were the 7th graders saying "Surprise!" with the room decorated with balloons, decorations, cupcakes, cookies, chips, chocolate covered pretzels, and juice. It was so incredibly thoughtful and sweet. I even got a couple of presents!

The 6th grade was able to join us for the festivities and it was nice to have a day where both grades were together and we got to have fun as a group.

The party was so great and was much needed today. It really lifted my spirits and the kids had a good time hanging out!

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

I Can't Wait!!!

My sister is on the plane AS WE SPEAK and will be here in a couple of hours! I can't wait to see her and to spend time with her. She is the first person in my family who has travelled to see me so it makes it that much more special.

Seeing as we don't have too much time to go sight-seeing (due to the last minute wedding details) Phil and I are going to try to take her to Washington DC this Sunday so she can experience that as well. I love DC and it holds a special place in my heart because that is where Phil and I had our first official "date."

I just can't wait to pick her up from the airport! Phil and I are taking her to dinner tonight and she is going to be hanging out with me until the wedding. I was told that I could take her to meet and help with my classes one day next week and I think that both she and my students will enjoy that.

Right now I'm just waiting for Phil's mom to get here so we can leave for the airport!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

It's All About Perspective

In life things happen. Good things, bad things, weird things...you name it, it can happen, but what I'm learning is that it's all about perspective.

Take Friday, for example. I woke up in a fantastic mood, ready to go about my day. As I was about to leave to go to work I noticed that something was different and that someone had, in fact, broken into my car! There was no damage and nothing was stolen.

In that moment I was not angry, but thankful. Thankful that I have a job with caring people who are understanding. Thankful that I have a fiance who is willing to let me call him at work and listen to me when I need it. Thankful that his parents are out here and are so helpful and supportive.

My car situation led to my alarm getting fixed (after months of it being broken) and the decision to get all of the doors working to be able to be locked with the alarm system (I had manual locks). It ended up being a blessing in disguise.

In life things happen and sometimes they can't be controlled, but it's all about how you view the situation and handle yourself. I think that I do a much better job at this now than I used to, but there are plenty of times where I do not handle myself well and let my emotions get the best of me.

Marriage fellowship tonight hit home to me. It's about trading places with your spouse (or soon-to-be) and being empathetic to their needs. It's about perspective and not assuming the worst possible thing and choosing to listen to them and try to understand where they are coming from and why. It's about love and what that really means and being their best friend.

I have a lot to work on when it comes to this, but I'm going to try to put things in perspective more often and think about how much it really matters in the grand scheme of things.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Wedding Wednesdays (Bridal Shower)

I can't believe that the wedding is only 17 days away! I would love to say that it felt like time has flown by, but let's be honest...it hasn't. In fact, ever since we've been engaged, time has been moving so slowly...it's ridiculous! Phil and I were talking last night about how surreal it is that the wedding is just a little over two weeks away. It's been 8 months of planning and preparing and there's still more to do. Not much, but a few little things.

I am so fortunate to have the BEST Maid of Honor and future Mother-In-Law on the planet! They attempted to surprise me with my shower a couple of weeks ago and it was so much fun. I seriously loved it! They even got our pastor involved to try to "trick" me, but unfortunately, my super-sleuth skills detected that something was up and I figured it out. Ha ha!


The shower's theme was Candy Land which is perfect with my future last name being Reese. They made a candy "Reese" tree with miniature Reeses and a cake that was made to look like a Candy Land board that you had to get to Reese Castle to win!


Talk about dedication...It took them THREE HOURS to make this masterpiece!

We played a couple of games...Pictionary (Wedding edition) and How well do you know the groom? For every wrong answer, I had to chew a piece of Bubble Yum. I think I ended up with SEVEN pieces in my mouth! I did really well for most of the questions!

All of the guests were good sports and a lot of fun. They even arrived early to make gingerbread houses for me to choose which one I would like as "our new home." I was blessed with such amazing gifts and had a lot of fun seeing what we got.

The Bridal Shower was definitely a highlight of the whole planning process and I couldn't be happier with how it all turned out.

Next week...the bachelorette party!

Monday, February 7, 2011

McFatty Monday

I almost didn't do a McFatty Monday post today because lately, I haven't been doing too well. 

The truth is... I'm an emotional eater. 

I eat when I'm happy, sad, stressed, tired, bored. It's sad, really. And the things that I crave the most? Ice cream, cookies, chocolate, hamburgers (particularly Big Macs), and all other sweet or fatty foods. Clearly, this is a problem.

I've been making more of an effort this past week. I went to my new gym and took Zumba last Monday and loved it! Unfortunately, it was a bit much for my back right now and I had to leave a little early due to the tightness and discomfort I was feeling, but it inspired me to go to the store to get more healthy things to eat!

I have a major issue with breakfast. There are few things that are healthy that really fill me up. I've tried cereal, english muffins with peanut butter, and peanut butter toast. Eggs just don't do it for me and more often than not I find myself driving through the McDonalds drive-thru ordering a bagel, egg, and cheese sandwich and a yogurt parfait. It's an issue.

This past week I decided to try something different. I bought some protein powder, non-fat frozen yogurt, and the Tropicana 50 juice to make a protein smoothie for breakfast. This worked a couple of times last week and really filled me up! I didn't even get hungry until lunch, but today was a different story. I got really stressed at work and was starving all morning. It sucked.

Even though last week wasn't perfect, I feel like I'm still making strides. Tonight I said no to just sitting on the couch with my back aching and yes to going to the gym to work out in the heated therapy pool. And you know what? I feel awesome. I also said no to the ice cream in the freezer and yes to a cut up cucumber and a little bit of dressing as a post work-out snack.

I feel like the big difference is that I'm trying. I may only make it to the gym once a week, but that's once a week more than I've gone in months and for the last three weeks I've been consistent. Sometimes it's about taking baby steps to get you where you want to be and I'm ok with that. You know what they say...

Slow and steady wins the race!

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Sister-Time!

Planning a wedding with your family out of state can be a little difficult. Don't get me wrong, I love planning the wedding, but sometimes I wish that my mom and sisters could be here to experience it all with me. I am fortunate enough that Phil's mom has stepped in and has gone to every dress fitting and venue meeting with me and I am so thankful for her.

The fact is, my mom and sisters live almost 3,000 miles away and I miss them. My mom and one sister are coming out the morning of the wedding due to their work and school schedules, but my other sister is a bridesmaid so she has to be out here for the rehearsal the night before. We have been planning on having her come out the Thursday before the wedding, but we were both disappointed that she wouldn't be able to come to the bachelorette party and hang out.

Last week things changed. Her schedule opened up and has allowed for her to come out early! I just booked the flight and will get to pick her up on the 16th! I will have a week and a half to have "sister time" with her and she will be able to come to the bachelorette party, meet the girls, help out with the little odds and ends that are left!

And...in March, my other sister is coming for a week visit during her spring break from college! I am so excited to be able to see my sisters this year and have them visit. The past couple of years, Phil and I have been able to make it to California, but this year we won't be able to swing it with the wedding so I am really looking forward to them coming out. I am planning a couple of DC trips and to show them around. Who knows, maybe we'll go to the Inner Harbor in Baltimore and check that out...and while we're at it...Gettysburg is pretty close!

Friday, February 4, 2011

Friday At Last!

I haven't written a lot lately because I really haven't had much to write about. Things are progressing well with the wedding and there's only three weeks left! I am fortunate that there really is nothing that causing stress at this point wedding-related. Of course, there's still stress in other areas and that is what gets to me. I've been exhausted from it and have had a hard time the past couple of days. I am really looking forward to the weekend and being able to hang out and not have things to do. We don't have much planned for the weekend and that's just how we like it!